Tough Love
by JP McClendon
Summary: A murdered MMA fighter returns to exact revenge on those responsible. WIP. Please R&R!
1. Prologue: Plans For the Future

**Author's note:** I do not now, nor have I ever, owned the Crow franchise. I do not now, nor do I ever, claim to own the Crow franchise. This is a work of fanfiction. Thank you, have a nice day, and I hope that you enjoy the story.

 **Prologue: Plans For the Future**

"You're not serious are you?" Danny asked while holding the heavy bag his older brother, Bobby, was beating on.

"I'm completely serious," replied Bobby without breaking his rhythm. "I mean, I can't do this forever. Might as well go out while my record's solid."

The record he was referring to was his professional MMA record. He was 7-0 so far with five of his wins being by knockout. While he hadn't had many fights by some people's standards, he was beginning to get a fair degree of notice. Talk already circulated that within the next year or so he might get a shot at the title in his weight class.

"That's not the point," retorted Danny.

"Then what is the point?" asked Bobby as he drove a hard knee strike into the bag.

"You're on the verge of stardom and you want to chuck it all in?" replied Danny as he tried to maintain a solid hold on the heavy bag after Danny's knee strike. Danny was also an MMA fighter, but with less than half the fights to his credit as his older brother, at least fights that were in the ring. When it came to life outside the ring, Danny had leaps and bounds more fights than his older brother, a detail that was a sore spot as far Bobby was concerned. Danny was something of a hothead, and Bobby was forever looking after him to keep him out of trouble.

"I don't care about stardom," said Bobby with one final punch before stopping and going over to a nearby bench to fetch his water bottle and towel. "I care about Anna."

Danny followed Bobby to the bench to continue their conversation. To look at the two of them, it was hard to believe that Bobby was the older of the two by several years. Bobby was barely over six feet tall and fought in the middleweight division. In fact, his overall build made him look more like a track athlete than a professional fighter. Danny, on the other hand, stood several inches taller than his brother, fought in the light heavyweight division, and definitely looked like a fighter. Combine this with the fact that the two of them had noticeably different hair colors, with Bobby's being a light brown, almost blonde, and Danny's being dark brown, almost black, it was hard to tell that the two of them were even related.

"So your Jap gir…" began Danny before Bobby, quick as lightning, slapped him across the face.

"I told you to knock that kind of talk off," scolded Bobby, who suddenly seemed like his brother's physical equal. "Mom and Dad raised us better than that."

Danny sucked in a deep breath through his teeth. Deep down, he knew Bobby was right and that he was better than his statement had made him out to be. On the surface, however, he was genuinely bitter at Anna because she had some sort of inexplicable hold on Bobby. "I'm sorry," he admitted to Bobby after taking a couple of calming breaths. "You're right."

Bobby's posture softened when Danny admitted his error. Rather than keep the focus on Danny's words, he lightly punched his younger brother on the shoulder. "Come on," he said with a smile. "You need to help me finish my workout. I've got a big match in a couple of days. Without you in my corner, I don't stand a chance."

Danny smiled in return and let out a brief chuckle. "I'll always be in your corner," he said as he returned Bobby's light punch on the arm.

"I know you will," replied Bobby. Then he gave Danny a warm brotherly embrace to show his younger brother just how much he truly meant to him. "And I'll always be in yours."

 **To be continued...**


	2. Dirty Dealings

**Dirty Dealings**

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" resounded the voice of the ring announcer. "Your winner by knockout, with a time of one minute and thirty-eight seconds, and still undefeated, Bobby 'The Blur' Brewster!"

Bobby raised his arms in triumph as the audience roared cheers of approval. Danny beamed with pride at his older brother's accomplishments. After slapping a baseball cap onto his head that showed off several of Bobby's sponsors, Danny knelt down, wrapped his arms around Bobby's legs, and hoisted him into the air to aid in Bobby's celebration. Once he had played to the crowd enough, Danny brought Bobby back down to the canvas so that he could talk to the interviewer who was patiently waiting to talk to him.

Elsewhere, a TV turned off and Bobby's face disappeared just as he was about to give his post-match interview. A Japanese man in his early 50's, clean-cut, with slicked back short dark hair and dressed in what certainly appeared to be a very expensive gray suit slowly turned to face two young men sitting at the conference table across from him. The first young man was in his mid-20's. Though he was in a fine suit as well, he did not keep his overall appearance as proper as the older man across from him. His hair was long enough to reach to his shoulders, was slightly spiked on the top, and had a few blonde streaks going throughout. His face was free of facial hair and, despite his age, it made him resemble someone who was years younger than he actually was. In fact, he looked more like he belonged in a pop boyband than he did sitting at a business conference table. However, his eyes told another story. They told those around him that he was far from sweet and innocent. Next to him at the table was a handsome man also in his mid-20's, though he actually looked it. Unlike the first young man, his appearance was much more professional. He had no facial hair, and while his hair was similarly long to the first young man, it was much more professional-looking and lacked the blonde streaks. His attire showed him to be someone very concerned with appearances as it was immaculately kept. Two more people stood against the wall behind them. The first was a young man who appeared to be something of a combination of the two at the table. He was in the same age range as them, handsome and clean-cut with short neat hair, but he didn't bother with a suit like the other two. He merely had nice pants and a black silk button-down shirt with far too many of the buttons opened for it to be considered proper for a formal meeting. Around his neck was gold chain with a small pendant on it. Next to him was an older man, either in his late 30's or even early 40's. He had slicked back short black hair that was slightly longer on top and a mustache and goatee that was barely more than stubble. He was also quite tall and his very solid build gave one the impression that if he got into a head-on collision with a car that he'd not only survive it, but fare far better than then car would. To make the young man at his side look further out of place, he wore a black suit with a white shirt.

"(That is the man,)" said the businessman in Japanese. "(I, respectfully, ask that something be done about him.)"

"(Why?)" interrupted the third young man. "(Did he refuse to lose a fight for you?)"

The second young man said nothing, but merely turned his head and looked at the third young man with a subtle glare that made it perfectly clear that he shouldn't speak out of turn like that again. The third young man noticed the glare, stood up a bit straighter, pressed his back against the wall, and lowered his head to keep from making further eye contact. Once he was certain the third young man was properly put in his place, the second young man returned his gaze to the businessman. "(What is your reason for wanting this?)" he asked at last.

"(He has plans and intentions towards my daughter, Anna,)" responded the businessman quickly, as though he had anticipated having to answer this question. Though it was subtle, his words carried a bit of ire to them.

"(She's an exceptional beauty,)" said the first young man with a slightly lecherous tone. "(I don't blame him.)"

"(Why am I talking to you and not your father?)" responded the businessman to make it clear that he did not appreciate the comment about his daughter.

"(Because requests like this by people such as yourself are beneath the notice of my father,)" said the first young man, who now had a look on his face that appeared to be a combination of boredom and insolent anger. "(Therefore, if you still want this matter taken care of, you will deal with me.)"

"(Mr. Otani,)" said the second young man before the businessman could reply. "(I am sure that neither you, nor Hideo here meant any insult towards the other. Let's let calm heads prevail and come to an arrangement that we will both find mutually acceptable. Please?)"

Mr. Otani just gave Hideo a look of disdain before nodding his head in agreement at the second young man's statement. Hideo just smiled a look of smug satisfaction.

"(Excellent,)" said the second young man to maintain the return to business decorum. "(Then let's discuss and come up with a plan.)"

* * *

Hideo and the second young man watched Mr. Otani walk out the door. The third young man followed Mr. Otani to the door and closed it behind him. The large man remained where he was against the wall and behind Hideo.

"(Finally,)" said the third young man as he came back from the door. "(I can do a couple of lines now that that tired boring fuck is out of here.)"

"(Do you have to do that now, Moe?)" asked the second young man.

"(Yes I have to do it right now, Tada,)" replied Moe with a mocking tone. He then took out a small vial and poured some white powder on the table.

Tada looked at Hideo with a look of expectancy. When it became obvious that Hideo was not going to object or stop Moe from doing what he wanted, he just stood up and walked to the window. "(We should have avoided agreeing to this whole matter,)" Tada said as he stared out the window. "(It doesn't involve us. Mark my words, it will come back upon us.)"

"(You worry like my grandmother, Tada,)" said Moe right after snorting his first line of the white powder. "(The payoff down the line makes killing this guy more than worth it.)"

"(Moe's right, Tada,)" said Hideo. "(We just secured for ourselves, and my father, a very prosperous future. Additionally, I will get to spend some time with Mr. Otani's daughter. I think everybody except that dumb fuck we're about to kill just won. Relax and enjoy it.)"

Tada continued to stare out the window and allowed his head to touch the glass. "(You're probably right,)" he said in a low tone that still demonstrated his doubt. "(Still, we'll have to be careful. Something about this whole thing worries me and I can't place why.)"

"(That's why I like having you around, Tada,)" said Hideo as he stood up. "(You worry so that I don't have to. But before we do this, I want to meet him and see exactly who we're killing.)"

"(I love that idea!)" exclaimed Moe after finishing another line.

"(You would,)" retorted Tada as he turned to face Hideo and Moe. "(If Hideo said sucking your own cock was a good idea, you'd try to every day until either you succeeded or broke your neck in the attempt. Sycophant.)"

"(You know something?)" said Moe as he stood up to confront Tada. "(I'm really tired, and just a little pissed, at how you always run me down.)"

"(Then you should stop saying and doing dumb shit,)" replied Tada with a smug look of superiority.

Hideo rolled his eyes in exasperation at the sight of his two friends arguing. With his head cocked to one side and an exasperated look on his face, he turned and looked at the older man, who was still standing silently against the wall. The older man said nothing, but finally moved away from the wall and to the table, where he proceeded to pound his fist once on its surface. The sudden violent noise caused Tada and Moe to stop arguing and look at Hideo.

"(The Wall thinks that the two of you should stop bickering like an old married couple,)" said Hideo with a twisted smirk. "(And you both know that if you don't, then the Wall will become angry.)"

"(And nobody wants to see the Wall angry,)" said Tada and Moe at the same time with a roll of their eyes and the sarcasm so obvious in their voices that anyone who heard them speak would know that their reply was highly scripted.

"(Good,)" said Hideo. "(Now, let's get going. This place bores me. And you both know that I'm not pleasant to be around when I'm bored.)"

 **To be continued…**


	3. A Night to Remember

**A Night to Remember**

A couple of hours later, Bobby entered a popular nightclub known as the Jolt with his girlfriend, Anna Otani, by his side. Danny had arrived ahead of them in order to secure them, and the inevitable party entourage, a booth in the VIP section. The owner was a big fan of Bobby's and had no qualms about fulfilling all of the requests Danny made in order to ensure that the celebration was one that would be remembered, and encourage the group to return in the future.

Bobby managed to spot Danny almost immediately, despite the fair number of people who were in attendance. "There he is," he said into Anna's ear to make sure she could hear him. Before pulling away, he gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. Anna smiled at his simple, but romantic gesture. Anna, herself, was about half a foot shorter than Bobby. She had a dancer's physique that made her seem rather delicate. Though Bobby was not a big man by many people's standards, the difference in their height further contributed to impression that she was delicate. Her long hair was lightened to a milk chocolate brown, in contrast to her very dark eyes. Her skin was smooth and creamy. After sweeping her hair behind her ear, she brought her hand up to Bobby's face to keep his attention on her. Then she pulled him back in close and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Bobby was slightly surprised by Anna's move, but quickly responded to her kiss by returning it with equal passion.

"Let him wait for a moment," she said to him once their lips parted. Bobby looked deep into her eyes, which seemed to glint and sparkle. Overcome, he initiated a passionate kiss of his own that Anna instantly returned. Danny, meanwhile, had spotted them and noticeably rolled his eyes at what, he felt, was their overly-affectionate display. However, not wanting to upset Bobby, he let them alone. To distract himself while he waited, he made his way through the crowd to the bar and ordered a drink.

"Corona and a shot of Jack!" he said at a loud decibel level to the bartender to make sure he could be heard clearly in the din of the crowded club.

"Coming right up!" replied the bartender dutifully.

While he waited for his drinks to arrive, Danny looked back at Bobby and Anna. They were still sharing a moment. A twinge of irritation came to him and he let out an obvious exasperated sigh.

"All good?" asked the bartender as he set Danny's drinks down in front of him.

"Not really!" replied Danny, still at a volume to make sure he could be heard. His eyes then left the bartender and he looked down at his drinks. In a single swift motion, he picked up his shot and tossed it back. "But I'll make do! Put these on the Brewster tab!"

"You got it, chief!" replied the bartender as he gave Danny a thumbs up sign. Danny casually returned the thumbs up with one hand as he told hold of his Corona with the other.

"It'll be a miracle if I get through the night without punching some motherfucker in the face," Danny said aloud to no one at all. "Okay, time to get the love birds to the table. I'm sick of fucking waiting."

As Danny made his way back over to Bobby and Anna, a series of five black sedans rolled up to the front of the club. Almost before the first car was fully stopped, the Wall had emerged. After quickly cracking his own neck, he shut his door and strode with purpose to the second car in the line. With one swift motion, he opened the rear door that was closest to the entrance and took a couple of steps back. Hideo leaned out and looked around. After a few seconds, a large smile that was almost a sneer came to his face. Looking rather satisfied, he exited the sedan, took a few small steps, and watched the Wall close the door behind him.

The driver of the third car had gotten out by this time and jogged quickly around to the rear passenger door. He opened it wide, gave a quick polite bow and stepped back. A moment later, a young and very attractive Japanese woman in a very short green silk dress that almost didn't come down past her ass stepped out onto the sidewalk. Presently, another Japanese woman, as equally attractive as the first, but in a black silk dress that was so contoured to her body that it could have been painted on, followed her out. About a minute later, Tada emerged from the car and stepped onto the sidewalk. Instantly, one of his hands found its way to the second woman's ass and he began unabashedly groping it. Surprisingly, a third attractive Japanese woman, dressed in a rose-colored silk dress with no shoulders or sleeves and had cutouts on both sides along the entire length of her dress emerged from the car after Tada. The driver then closed the door and returned to his seat. The third woman gave Tada a big kiss on the lips that was practically the beginning of a make out session. Tada returned her kiss with enthusiasm. All the while, his hand was still occupying itself with the second woman's ass. Onlookers waiting to get into the club whistled and howled their approval of the display.

Moe stepped out of the back of the fourth car on his own and made a point to wipe his nostrils with his thumb and index finger, thus guaranteeing all visible evidence of his coke habit was brushed away. For a brief moment, he glanced down at the two fingers that had done the deed and then gave them a quick lick. Satisfied that he had disposed of all the evidence, he looked to the others. Hideo was moving with purpose towards the entrance of the club with the Wall close behind him, while Tada was casually doing the same with his three dates by his sides. Once they all got closer, he took a deep breath, quietly counted to five, and then fell in behind them all.

Inside of the fifth sedan, two men in black suits were busy loading a pair of submachine guns and attaching silencers to them.

Back inside, Bobby, Anna, and Danny were finally moving towards the VIP section to begin the night's victory celebration. The owner swooped in as soon as he saw Bobby.

"Bobby 'the Blur'!" the owner said as he held out his hand. "I saw your fight tonight. Pretty easy victory tonight. Were you just toying with him?"

"Maybe just a little," replied Bobby with a smile as he took the owner's offered hand. "Thank you for letting us celebrate here tonight.

"It's my pleasure to accommodate such a noteworthy celebrity as yourself," said the owner with a smile. Danny rolled his eyes at the owner's obvious ass-kissing of his older brother. "Please, follow me. We've got your booth and some champagne already waiting for you."

Bobby smiled as he let go of the owner's hand and put his arm around Anna's waist. Then they all followed the owner to their booth.

Back at the entrance, Tada had bribed the doorman a few hundred dollars to allow Hideo's entire entourage to bypass the waiting line. As they walked in, Moe flipped off a few of the more vocal voices on the line that were objecting to Tada's bribe. Hideo, for his part, said and did nothing. At the street, all five sedans moved off.

Bobby popped the cork on one of the bottles of champagne and poured out generously into glasses for Anna, Danny, and himself. Once he had everyone's glass full, he set down the bottle and picked up his glass for a toast.

"To another hard-fought victory," he began as he held out his glass. "And a nice of celebration with family and friends."

"Victory and friends!" Anna and Danny said in unison as all three of them clinked their glasses together. Each then took a drink of their champagne. Once Anna had swallowed her champagne, Bobby kissed her passionately on the lips.

Hideo and the rest of the entourage moved silently through the throng of people towards the VIP area. Once there, they were stopped by a security guard.

"VIPs only beyond here," he said as put up a hand to halt them in their tracks. Tada winked at his girls and slipped out from among them to confront the security guard.

"We are VIPs," he said as he pulled out a wad of cash, peeled off three hundred dollar bills, and pressed them into the security guard's hand. "See? Here are our VIP passes."

The security guard looked stunned for a moment and just stared at the money that was now in his hand. After a few moments, he quietly pocketed Tada's payoff, stepped aside, and unclipped the velvet rope across the entrance to the VIP area.

"Step right this way and choose any booth not already taken," the guard said as he gestured them into the VIP area.

Tada smiled at the security guard and returned to his dates. Hideo gave the security guard a cold smile and proceeded in first, followed closely by the Wall. Tada pinched his dates on their asses to get them moving and then proceeded with them all past the security guard. Moe stepped forward, looked the security guard up and down, comically straightened the security guard's tie, patted him on the cheek, and moved past him to bring up the rear.

Danny noticed Hideo's party enter the VIP area while Bobby and Anna exchanged another couple of quick kisses. Moe noticed Danny looking their way. For comedic effect, Moe made a finger gun gesture, pointed it at Danny, closed an eye, and made a quiet "pew-pew" sound. Danny chuckled slightly at Moe. The rest of the entourage ignored Danny.

Danny nudged Bobby to get his attention. "We're no longer alone," he said to his older brother.

"All good," replied Bobby. "They're not bothering us. Let them do their thing while we do ours."

"Fine by me," said Danny as he moved to the other side of their booth and finally sat down.

Hideo found a booth he liked, sat down, and slide to the center. Tada and his dates followed suit on one side while Moe did likewise on the other. The Wall just stood there, looking imposing. Once they were settled in, Hideo pressed a button on their table to summon a server to take their drink orders. The server appeared presently and approached them with a smile.

"Good evening, all!" said the server with a smile on her face. "What can I get you all tonight?"

"I would like to have a bottle of your top shelf red wine," said Hideo with a polite smile. "Your choice. Anything above $100 for the bottle only. Please."

"I'll have a scotch," said Tada next politely. "Neat, please. The ladies will all have appletinis."

"Red Bull and vodka," said Moe plainly. "Make that two."

"Oh," said Hideo to return her attention to him. "A bottle of water for my security man. By the way, isn't that man over there that MMA fighter I saw on television?"

The server looked to where Hideo was indicating, saw Bobby, and then looked back to Hideo. "Yes he is," she said.

Hideo smiled again. "Then please also send a bottle of your best champagne over to him with my compliments."

"Right away!" said the server before moving off to fill their drink orders.

Tada and Moe made it a point to begin having a good time. Moe desperately wanted to do a few lines, but knew now was a bad time. Tada allowed his hands to wander over his dates' curves. Hideo smiled and pretended to enjoy the proceedings and the company, while in reality he was silently observing Bobby and Anna.

Over at the other booth, Danny kept allowing his attention to be drawn to Hideo's party. Something about them bothered him, and he couldn't figure out why. Bobby and Anna, on the other hand, were enjoying themselves and paid no mind or attention to Hideo and the rest.

A few minutes later, the server returned to Hideo's booth with a tray of drinks. She politely passed them their drinks and then moved over to Bobby's booth and presented him with the bottle of champagne Hideo had ordered for them.

"The man at the other booth sends this to you with his compliments," the server said with a smile. "He saw your fight tonight asked me to give you a bottle of our best."

"We've already got some of your best…" began Danny.

"Don't be rude, Danny," Bobby said to cut his younger brother off before he could say anything else that would come off as inhospitable. "Thank you! We're delighted to accept his gift."

The server smiled and set the bottle into the nearby ice bucket to chill. Once the server left, Bobby got up from his seat, leaned over and kissed Anna, and then turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?" asked Danny quickly in a concerned tone as he started to rise from his seat.

"I'm going over there to thank them for the bottle of champagne," replied Bobby as he motioned his brother to sit back down. "Relax. I won't be gone long."

Danny sat down with a frown on his face. Anna tried to defuse the moment by topping off their glasses with more champagne. Bobby just smiled, turned around, and walked over to Hideo's booth. As he approached, the Wall took a few steps forward to intercept him, but Hideo just held up his hand to stop him. Seeing his boss's gesture, the Wall obediently went back to his post. Bobby noticed the whole exchange and tried to ease the Wall's mind by making sure that his hands were in plain sight. Once he was at the front of the booth, he looked Hideo directly in the eyes.

"The server told me that you sent me over a bottle of champagne," he said to open their conversation.

"I did," replied Hideo casually. "You don't mind, do you? Your security guard looked like my gesture offended him."

"He's not my security guard," said Bobby with a sudden smile. "He's my younger brother. He's not offended. He just likes looking out for me is all. And I just wanted to come over here and thank you personally. I really appreciate your gesture. So, um, thank you!"

"It is my pleasure," said Hideo as he allowed a smile of his own to form.

"Well," began Bobby. "I should get back over there. Thank you again! Enjoy the rest of your night."

Bobby reached forward and offered to shake Hideo's hand. Hideo reached out and clasped Bobby's hand firmly.

"Again it is my pleasure," said Hideo as he let go of Bobby's hand. "Tell me, why don't you and yours join us? We could make the night one big party."

"Thank you, no," replied Bobby politely. "We're keeping things quiet until more of our guests arrive. Besides, I wouldn't want to intrude on your group."

"It's no trouble," said Hideo as his smile widened slightly. "Isn't it, 'The more, the merrier'?"

"Still," said Bobby as he took a step back. "I wouldn't feel right. But, thank you! Good night!"

"Good night!" said Hideo as he gave Bobby a small wave.

As Bobby turned to walk away Moe set his drink down on the table with a noticeable thump.

"What's the matter?" he said loud enough for him to be heard from anywhere in the section. Bobby froze in his path. "You're willing to drink the expensive booze we buy you, but we're not good enough to drink with? Is that it?"

Upon hearing Moe, Danny leapt from his seat and was at Bobby's side in the blink of an eye. Realizing that Danny would only further escalate the issue, Bobby put an arm across Danny's chest to keep him back. Danny stopped moving forward, but still glared at Moe.

"Maybe you should shut the fuck up!" Danny said, his eyes wide and his fists clenched. "He told you he wasn't interested!"

"Oh," continued Moe as he rose from his seat. Hideo, Tada, and the Wall did nothing. Tada's dates looked concerned. "Baby brother wants to get in my face. Well, come on, baby brother. I'm right here. Say all that again to my face. I dare you!"

Danny moved forward, but Bobby let his hand grip the fabric of Danny's shirt while he simultaneously stiffened his arm so as to signal his younger brother to stand down.

"Let it go," he said quietly to Danny. "Nothing here's worth getting into a fight over."

"Let it go?" seethed Danny to his older brother. "Let it go? This asshole starts talking shit and you tell me to let it go?"

Moe gestured Danny forward with a "bring it" motion to egg him on. Danny tried again to step forward.

"Yes," hissed Bobby. "Let it go."

"Why the fuck should I?" demanded Danny.

"Because I told you to," answered Bobby. "And because the guy who did the actual buying is letting it go. Now come on."

Danny's posture softened and his hands unclenched. Bobby had gotten through to him. Moe could also see that Bobby had de-escalated the situation. Danny took a deep breath to calm and center himself and he started to turn away.

"Master has his dog trained well," jabbed Moe again. Danny spun back around in an instant.

"Say that shit to my face!" challenged Danny. "I dare you! I double-fucking-dog-dare you!"

"Step forward and I will!" retorted Moe with a cocky smirk. "I double-fucking-dog-dare YOU!"

"Step outside," commanded Bobby. "Right now! You need to calm down!"

"But…" started Danny.

"No buts," interrupted Bobby. "Right. Fucking. Now!"

Without another word, Danny moved to do as he was told. As he did, Moe made a motion to shoo him away.

As Bobby maneuvered his brother towards the exit to the VIP section he glanced over to Anna, who had already gathered their things. He gave her a quick smile and turned to look at Hideo.

"Please, sir," Bobby said to Hideo. "Kindly have a word with your friend. I don't want there to be any further trouble."

"There will be no further trouble," said Hideo with a casual wave of his hand. "Moe! Sit down before the Wall descends upon you!"

The Wall moved from his position to emphasize Hideo's order. Moe put up a hand to signal the Wall that he didn't need to do anything.

"Okay, boss," said Moe to acknowledge Hideo. "No need for that. I'll sit down. I was just defending you, that's all. There'll be no more trouble from me."

"Thank you, sir," said Bobby to Hideo as he continued to push Danny out of the area. Anna followed on their heels.

As they left, Tada reached into his pocket for his phone. Once Bobby, Danny, and Anna were gone, he dialed. "(They're coming,)" he said into the phone when the other line picked up. "(Make sure you don't hit the girl if she's out there when you roll up. Only the two men.)"

Hideo let his eyes glance over to Tada. Tada calmly ended his call and looked at Hideo. Hideo smiled, finished his drink in one quick gulp, motioned for Moe to stand up again, and moved around to exit the booth. Then he walked over to Bobby's booth and picked up the untouched bottle of champagne that he had sent over. With a smile, he walked back over to his own booth. Tada and Moe quickly finished their drinks as well. Hideo smiled a sinister smile, opened the bottle of champagne, and poured out into each of their glasses.

"(Now we wait,)" he said as he raised his glass to his lips with his smile still on his face.

Bobby got Danny to the front door and then turned to look at Anna. "Stay here," he said before giving her a quick kiss. "I'm just taking him out of here for a few minutes so that he can calm down. Then we'll figure out what to do from there. If we have to call it a night, we will."

"Okay," replied Anna. "Meet me over at the bar when you two get back in."

"You got it," said Bobby with a smile. He looked her in the eyes briefly and then kissed her one more time. When he broke their kiss he returned his attention to Danny. "Out!"

Danny said nothing, but just did as he was told. Within a few moments, they were out on the sidewalk just looking at one another.

"Okay," began Bobby. "Just what the fuck is in your head? Do you want to spend the night in jail or something?"

"That guy pissed me off!" retorted Danny. "He was being a fucking asshole to you! I was just standing up for you!"

"That guy was just fucking drunk!" shouted Bobby. "People say stupid shit when they're drunk! That's when you most need to let what they say go! Come on! Use your fucking head!"

"Well I think you should have let me kick his ass!" said Danny defensively. "That would've sobered him up real quick!"

"With that behemoth they called the Wall standing there?" questioned Bobby. "Do you really think that guy would've just stood by? No! The drunk idiot would've gotten his ass kicked by you, I'll give you that. But that guy, the Wall, would've given you trouble. Hell, that guy would probably give a tank trouble. You just gotta learn to let shit go. Got me?"

Danny put his hands on his hips, looked up at the sky briefly, and let out a big sigh. "I got you," he said finally.

Bobby smiled at last and pulled Danny in for a big hug. Danny returned the hug almost instantly. "I love you, little brother," Bobby said into his ear. "And I'll always be in your corner."

As they pulled apart Danny looked his older brother in the face. "I love you, too, big brother," he said. "And I'll always be in your corner as well. What would I do without you?"

"I don't want to know," said Bobby with a smile as he patted Danny on the shoulder. "Now come on. Let's go back inside and try to make up and make nice. We're supposed to be celebrating!"

"For you I'll try to make nice," said Danny as he also began to smile. "I'll even buy them a round to apologize."

"That's what I like to hear," said Bobby as the two of them turned to walk back to the entrance.

A moment later, one of the black sedans roared back onto the scene with its windows down. Before anyone noticed, a pair of submachine guns popped out of the passenger side windows and opened fire. In an instant, the front area of the Jolt was riddled with bullets while people screamed and dove for cover. Unfortunately, not everyone was lucky enough to escape injury. The whole attack lasted for only a few seconds and the black sedan sped off into the night. Having learned of the attack, Anna rushed to the front door to see about Bobby and Danny. Once the door guards were sure the attack was over, they let her out the door. That's when she saw them. Both were down and lying in growing pools of blood. Rushing over, she could see that Danny was clearly dead, having taken shots to the head and the heart. Bobby, however, was still alive, but likely wouldn't be for much longer. Without any cares about the blood she dropped to her knees, lifted his head, and rested it on her lap. Bobby looked up at her and weakly raised a bloody and shaking hand.

"Hang on," Anna said to him as tears came to her eyes and her hand found his. "Please, hang on."

"I love you," Bobby said weakly. "I…didn't expect…tonight…to end like this."

"Neither did I," Anna agreed. "Please, don't give up.

"My…left pocket," Bobby said with a painful gasp. "I love you."

Anna felt Bobby's hand clench hers strongly for a few seconds and then go slack. As his grip loosened, the light left his eyes. Realizing that he was gone, Anna broke down in great wailing sobs and hugged his head to her.

Back in the VIP area, Hideo poured himself another glass of champagne and smiled.

 **To be continued…**


	4. What Has Become of Me?

**What Has Become of Me?**

 _ **One year later.**_

Anna opened the door to her shower and reached for the soft white towel that was nearby. After attentively drying herself off, she wrapped the towel around herself and stepped out onto the plush bath mat. The bathroom itself was rather spacious and contained a liberal amount of marble. Standing before the sink, she reached for a pair of simple white cotton panties, slid them up her legs, and under her towel. The mirror was fogged up from her shower and she could only barely make out her reflection. With a bit of an inward sigh, she slipped her towel off and wiped the mirror down. With her face fully revealed in the mirror, she stared into a pair of dark, almost lifeless, eyes. Her hair had gotten longer and was now her natural shade of dark black. Turning her back to the mirror, she pulled her hair forward over her right shoulder before peering back at her reflection to glance unhappily at an ornate tattoo of a ferocious tiger that covered most of her back and part of her left shoulder. She didn't want to look at the image in the mirror, but at that exact moment she found herself unable to look away from it. Her reverie was broken suddenly when the sound of someone entering the bedroom that contained her bathroom could be heard.

"(Shikiko?)" came Hideo's voice. "(Shikiko, are you getting ready?)"

"Fuck," muttered Anna under her breath as she once again wrapped the towel around herself. "I better go see what he wants."

Anna took in a deep breath to center herself before unlocking and opening the bathroom door and striding out into the bedroom. The bedroom itself was expensively decorated, complete with a large king size bed and thick plush carpeting. Hideo was in the middle of the room with his arms folded across his chest, glaring at her.

"(Didn't you hear me calling you?)" he asked in a stern tone.

"In English," she replied to him coldly. "You know I don't speak a lot of Japanese."

"And I have told you several times in the past that you better learn," he shot back at her with a clearly stated warning. "I hate speaking English."

"That's your problem," retorted Anna as she began walking towards her closet. At the window, a crow landed on the windowsill and peered inside. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for YOUR party."

A scowl came to Hideo's face and he crossed the room over to her. Without any warning, he grabbed her by the arm and forced her to turn and look at him. "How many times do I have to tell you not to disrespect me?" he seethed. "I am your lord and master. You are here to obey me!"

"Just because my father forced me to marry you it doesn't mean I care one iota for you or what you think!" Anna spat back at him as she twisted uncomfortably in his grip. "Now, let me go or I will tell my father just how much you abuse me."

"Go ahead and tell him," challenged Hideo as he tightened his grip on her. "He works for me. He is my servant. I can do what I like!"

With that, Hideo emphasized his statement by yanking off her towel and slamming it to the floor. Then, with his free hand, he began to crudely grope her breasts. Anna squirmed at his touch and tried in vain to pull away from him. Once he was sure his point had been made, he let go of her completely and gave her a forceful slap across the face. The suddenness of the blow and the sting it caused made her reel and she fell onto the bed. Hideo stepped forward and loomed over her.

"And that was for wearing the panties you've got on," he said with a scowl. "How many times have I told you that I don't like you wearing panties at all, especially ugly white ones like these? You dress how I tell you to! Exactly how I tell you to! Now, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

Hideo reached down, violently tore her panties away, and forcefully yanked her legs open. Her basic desire for modesty had unreasonably incensed him, as though she had committed some grievous crime.

"I didn't mean to upset you!" she cried pitifully. "I was only wearing them until it was time for me to get dressed. Then I was going to take them off. Please! Stop!"

"You should have just not bothered," he snarled as he stepped between her legs and began undoing his belt. "What's going to happen to you now is all your fault!"

As he forced himself on Anna, the crow turned away from the scene, leapt off the windowsill, and flew away. Presently, it was high enough in the sky so as to be over the tops of most of the buildings. Occasionally, it looked down and scanned the passing scenery. Once it saw its destination growing near, it gave off a loud caw and began a swift gliding descent. Within moments, it landed next to an office window and peered inside at one of the two figures in the room. It was Tada.

Tada was reclining in an office chair with his pants and underwear down around his knees. In front of him on her knees was one of the office secretaries. She was completely nude, save for a pair of black thigh high stockings and matching heels. At this particular moment, she was eagerly and expertly servicing him with her mouth. Neither of them noticed the crow, as they were too wrapped up in their little tryst. The crow only watched them for a few moments before it leapt back into the air and flew around to another window. After landing at the second window it peered inside again, this time the figure in the room was alone. It was Moe.

Moe was in a chair, hunched forward over a conference table greedily snorting up a couple of lines of cocaine. Once both of the lines had disappeared up his nose, he threw himself back in his chair with his eyes closed, relishing the sensations of the moment. The entire time he was completely oblivious to the fact that he was being watched intently.

Eventually, the crow decided it had seen enough and it took back to the sky. Unlike before, where it had flown almost casually, now it flew with furious purpose. As it did so, dark and ominous clouds rolled in.

Within a few minutes, it came to a cemetery several miles away from where it had been spying. Almost immediately, it slowed its pace and circled about a few times before landing on one of the gravestones. Quietly and cautiously, it tilted its head back and forth a couple of times. Satisfied all was right, it leaned forward and pecked insistently at the gravestone. For close to a minute, that was all it did. When it stopped, it looked to the sky and gave off a caw that resounded into the night. Suddenly and without any warning, a bolt of lightning coursed down from the sky and struck the ground in front of the gravestone. Instead of being frightened off by the lightning strike, the crow stayed exactly where it was.

A few minutes later, the ground in front of the gravestone began to swell and undulate. The crow remained perched where it was and just watched the movement of the earth intently. As it watched, a hand violently emerged from the ground in the exact spot where the lightning had struck.

 **To be continued…**


End file.
